Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Taliban no Longer Controlled by Pakistan: Asif

Taliban no Longer  Controlled by Pakistan: Asif

KABUL - Pakistan Foreign Minister Khwaja Asif says his country no longer has any influence over Taliban. The insurgents are currently being sponsored and controlled by others, he claims.
He confirmed US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who met Pakistan's military and civilian officials on Oct. 23, had handed them a list of 75 terrorists.
Briefing the Senate on Tillerson's trip, the minister said “The US has given us a list of 75 terrorists. Pakistan is not America’s colony that would do whatever they want.”
The Haqqani Network was top of the list but Hafiz Saeed's name was not mentioned, the minister said. Saeed, a Pakistani militant leader, was allegedly involved in terrorist attacks in India.
New Delhi claims in 2008, under the leadership of Saeed, Lashkar-i-Taiba’s bloody attacks in India left dozens of people dead and wounded.
Asif told the Senate the US had accepted Pakistan’s demands after the attack on the World Trade Center. “The US would give us lists of terrorist and we would sell them.”
Former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan Mullah Abdul Salam Zayef has written in his book that Pakistan would sell Taliban and other militants to the US for the sake of dollars.
According to Asif, they have informed US that Pakistan has no influence on Taliban anymore, “We had influence over them in the past but now they are being sponsored by others.”
He said Afghan Taliban’s leaders were also included in the list, and some of people existed on it were dead. Earlier Pakistan and Afghanistan had also exchanged such lists. (Pajhwok)